ISLAMABAD, March 29: Pakistan on Wednesday called for early finalisation of compensation for oil spill caused after an oil tanker, Tasman Spirit, beached off Karachi coast.

Foreign Minister Kasuri, while talking with Secretary-General of the Greek Foreign Office Charalambos Rocan, referred to the visit of Greek deputy foreign minister in 2004 when the Greek captain and members of the crew of the tanker were released.

He briefed the foreign minister about consultations held with the foreign secretary in which bilateral relations were discussed.

The foreign minister expressed satisfaction at the pace of cooperation in various fields and said that institutional links would be useful in enhancing cooperation. Foreign Minister emphasised the need to strengthen economic relations.

The issue of sacrilegious cartoons was also discussed.

The Greek secretary-general termed the incident regrettable and said it reflected an “abuse of freedom of expression concept”. The two sides agreed to work together for promoting inter-faith harmony.

The foreign minister asked for Greece’s support within the framework of EU on the issue. The secretary-general promised that Greece would play a positive role in promoting dialogue on the issue.

The Greek secretary-general told the foreign minister that the prime minister’s upcoming visit to Greece would provide impetus to the ongoing bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Greece. — APP